The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-01-23
The Annual French Ball at the Academy of
Music-The Severely Proper People Who
Attend and Some of the Things They See.
MIR. L0rillard's Two Thousand Working
Girls and What They Are Like.
New and Pleasing Solution of the Theater Bon
net Question-How Very Fashionable
Woman Disappointed Society People.
Special to the Indianapolis Journal


NEW YORK. Jan. 23.-Once . year tempta
city to be frivolous, wildly gay, scornful of pro-
prieties. This occasion for 1887 has just passed
1t is the annual ball of the Cercle Francaise de
rHarmonie. For more than a score of years the
French colony here has distinguished itself by a
display of Partisan extravaganza in a way that
has attracted universal attention. Not woman
in the city but has heard vaguely that the ball is
very brilliant affair, tinged. if not discolorea
with naughtiness-altogether just such an occas-
ion as one would like to know more about but
not be concerned in. Happily for these daugh
ters of Eve, the ball is of the character that per-
mits them to learn all there may be desirable or
undesirable to know without being detected. So
it happens that for weeks preceding the
event women all over town discuss the
to go or not to go with a pleasurable
shiver of excitement at the prospect of looking
upon real live wickedness. Eventually good
many of them who have liberal and indulgent
husbands secure a black domino and mask and
present themselves at the door of the Academy
OF Music upon the great night. They get there,
Of course. late in the evening and timidly lay
aside their wraps in the dressing rooms prepara-
tory to going 20 the dancing floor. AS rule
these proper visitors prefer first to 60 to the par
quette seats and look on. The dancing floor is but
a few feet distant and the spectacle is easily
seen. This year it looked like a chorus scene in
comic opera. If anybody gathers from that
that was there It'll unwarranted presump-
tion Several giddy friends Of mine committed
the indiscretion of attending; hinc lila verba.
The vast stage of the Academy was extended by
a ter MI mt fho
chairs, and on this floor the dances
were executed. There were the fantastic
young men in knee breeches red
jackets. blonde mustaches and feathered
cap. SO familiar to admirers of Audran and
Suppe. Next to them in point of familiarity
were the young (2l ladies in tights the costume
never known to the world outside the opera. Then
came the female figures who dressed in loose,
short gowns, a Ia the Mother Hubbard, looking
and acting very much like silly children. These
might have stepped ont of a Solomon opera.
"reminiscences of Iolanthe and other of Gil
bert's oddities were seen in the dresses of sew
eral maskers, whose skirts came just below the
knee one side. and just above it on the other,
leaving exposed on the latter band Of blue rib
bon tied in a bow about the neatly hosed limb.
Then there were the absufdly -colored, fantas-
tically-arranged costumes Of those who think
they are funny, the ordinary black domnoes
and notifications of the same that made their
wearers look like deputation of widows; the
omnipresent slim man in full dress-suit, and
| happily rare sprinkling Of devils and priests
| These people danced with more decorum than
less for an hour or two, for previous to midnight
/ none but the dancers were allowed upon the
/ floor
/ By midnight the effects of the wine-roora were
| supposed to make things pleasant for all con-
| cerned, so that the spectators could crowd upon
the floor and the dangers could be prevented
| from dancing in go Cd order without being 7exed
thereat Winding their way about the extern
sive floor, the proper young ladies saw groups
here and there turning the waltz into clog
dance. for the clumsy attempt to initiate the
can-can was in most cases no more than q clog
There were one or two however, who had ac-
auired the requisite fexibilty of limb. and the
result was an occasional whirling of widows
weeds. the flashing of brighter drapery, and the
graceful elevation of . slippered heel above the
head of the dancer. Such an event always
brought applause from the people in the private
boxes and the gallery stalls. and it is to be pre-
sumed, blush to cheeks Of the eddy dominoes
who were gliding about incog. observers. The
band in the topmost gallery played necessarily,
and the throng upon the floor, unable to execute
any dances with regularity, divided into little
groups and went through such fantastic mo-
tions as suited each group best. The
| proper dominoes saw, as they meandered
about, many faces and figures that had not been
noticed from the parquetts seats They seemed
to spring up from the floor. In fact they were
coming in all the while until long after mid
night. Some were already taking off masks
While there were among the revelers few who
could be called beautiful anywhere, there were
more who were positively ugly by natures en-
dowments, and distressingly frightful by theil
own stupidity in dress. The tall, lank woman
who vore a dress that came just below the
Knees, for instance or the very fat ly-poly
woman who insisted on exhibiting herself as
page and waddled about, mark for ridicule q
every hand; or the middleaged, coarse-featuret
, woman who looked most repulsive in dres
that simulated the costume of society de
butante. Most of the proper dominoes with
. drew soon after 12, though there were those VIII
stayed as late as g. The party / know abou
!, | thought they had seen enough when blonde i
| a light blue, loose Mother Hubbard. VITO wa
being escorted with difficulty off the floor, fell i
| q drunken heap in the aisle at their feet, an
+ had to be picked up bodily and carried the ref
t Of the way to the retiring-room.
& |
have been to sea the two thousand girls VIII
il are on strike in tho Lorillard tobacco factory,
Jersey City. One of the features Of the ente
prise is a library maintained by the Lorillari
d for the use of their employees. II contains te
thousand volumes Of we'll selected reading ma
ter, and, connected with it. is evening schoo